It is in everyone’s interest that complaints are resolved at the earliest possible stage. The experience of the first contact between the complainant and the academy can be crucial in determining whether the complaint will escalate. To that end, if members of staff are made aware of the procedures, they know what to do when they receive a complaint.

In the first instance, the complaint should be discussed between the person making the complaint and the Headteacher. They will jointly agree whether to include the member of staff involved in a follow-up meeting. If a complainant indicates that he/she would have difficulty discussing a complaint with that particular member of staff, the matter can be handled by the Headteacher alone. Where the complaint concerns the Headteacher, or a member of the Academy Committee, the complainant should be referred to the Chair of the Academy Committee. If the complaint concerns the Chair and/or the Academy Committee, the complainant should refer the matter to the CEO of Pele Trust.

Similarly, if the Headteacher or Academy Committee Chair feels too compromised to deal with a complaint, it should be referred to an appropriate member of staff or another Academy Committee member. If no such person can be identified, the matter should be referred to the CEO. The ability to consider the complaint objectively and impartially is crucial, and it is also important to give an indication of timescale if it is found that the complaint requires further investigation.

If a complainant first approaches an Academy Committee member directly, he/she should be referred to the Headteacher or the Academy Committee Chair. Individual Academy Committee members should not act unilaterally on an individual complaint outside the formal procedure or be involved at the early stages in case they are needed to sit on a hearing panel at a later stage of the procedure.

It is hoped the majority of complaints can be resolved at this stage.